I am sure you have noticed those annoying little stickers on your produce-you try to pick them off but you inadvertently peel part of the skin off as well!!!

Turns out those pesky little stickers are actually useful not only to the cashier who uses the code to ring up the produce but for the consumer as well.

Every piece of produce comes with some digits whether it is stuck right on its skin or on a tag or sticker on the package.

These digits, once you learn what they mean, can be a very useful tool for us as the consumer…….

Here is how it breaks down:

• If your produce has a 4 digit number it means it has been grown using conventional methods…meaning fertilizers, pesticides, etc.

• If your produce has a 5 digit number that starts with a 9 it means it has been grown using organic methods…meaning crop rotation, composting, etc.

• If your produce is a 5 digit number starting with an 8 it means it has been GENETICALLY MODIFIED!!!!

STAY AWAY FROM EIGHTS!!!!

If you can only remember one thing -remember HATE EIGHT!!!

Or remember that NINE IS FINE!!!!

Always check the stickers on your produce, I don’t always buy organic produce but I definitely do not want GM foods.

Genetically Modified food uses  Genetic Engineering to remove genes from one plant species and place them into another species in hopes of creating a whole new species.  They can also take the genes from animals and place them into plant genes…..one example I found on the internet stated that they have taken a gene from fruit flies and placed them into a tomato species in hopes of creating a tomato that repels fruit flies!!!

GM foods are scary, it messes with the genetic make up of the plant species and in turn who knows what kind of repercussions that could have on our health…I do not want to find out!!!

What is even more scary is that most of the food items carried on grocery store shelves contain genetically modified ingredients…yes, our favorite junk foods, so called health foods, and even most baby food.  YIKES!!!

Be an informed shopper, make yourself aware of what ingredients are lurking in your food, especially the ones you hand over to your children.

Let me know if you find this helpful……..

Check out my website!!!  www.ColorWheelMeals.com

]]> http://guidetogoodfood.wordpress.com/2009/09/04/know-your-food/ Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:35:45 +0000 dianehatz http://guidetogoodfood.wordpress.com/2009/09/04/know-your-food/

The entire Guide to Good Food series has been developed to help you get to know your food, but here’s an easy tip to help you when shopping. This will apply mainly to grocery stores, not to farmers’ markets where you’re buying your food direct.

As you look for fruits and vegetables, especially now at the end of summer when stores will be overflowing with farm produce, look for the labels found on the food. For small items like mushrooms or green beans, look for the numbered label on signage or the container they’re placed in. These numbers are PLU (price look-up) codes and are used on food that’s sold loose, by bunch, by weight or individually.

To know what kind of food you’re buying –

What this means
1. Conventionally grown – the produce was most likely grown on a large industrial farm that uses chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The food was most likely picked before it was ripe and shipped a long distance to get to the store. (The average conventionally-grown item travels 1500 miles to land on your dinner plate.) Farms such as these can contribute to ground and water pollution through chemical runoff.

2. Genetically modified – Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are very controversial and are banned in many countries due to the lack of sufficient testing to determine their safety. A GMO is created by taking the traits, or genes, of one plant and inserting them into another. This is different than traditional cross breeding where two similar plants are combined to create a different variation of the food. The genes can come from completely different species – such as inserting flounder genes into a tomato – and not enough is known about the long-term ramifications of this gene manipulation on human health or the environment.

3. Organic – The food was raised without the use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides (though some natural pesticides can be used), it cannot be treated with sewage sludge, and is not genetically engineered or irradiated. The fruits and vegetables can still be shipped long distances so finding a sign that says both local and organic is an even better option.

Why this is good
Do you ever go shopping for organic produce and wonder if it really is organic? Searching for the 9 on the PLU label on the food will help you know that your apple wasn’t accidentally tossed in from the conventional side.

Also, if you’re on a budget and have to make choices, knowing which foods are genetically engineered and which are not may help you with your decision. Avoiding PLU codes that start with 8 means you are steering clear of GMOs.

With everything we need to remember in order to buy the healthiest food for ourselves and our families, this is a quick and easy tip to know what’s conventional, what’s organic and what’s genetically engineered. If you want to learn more about PLU Codes, you can read their Users Guide.

Thanks to Ideal Bite for getting this information out!

(Diane Hatz is the Founder of Sustainable Table, Executive Producer of The Meatrix movies and co-Founder of the Eat Well Guide. This is the 21st installment in her series, Sustainable Table’s Guide to Good Food.)

The next time you polish up an apple or peel a banana, think twice about the tiny sticker likely affixed to the exterior. Those colorful wee stickers slapped on to every piece of fruit offer PLU codes that can tell you a lot more than the fruit itself could just from appearances.

• A four-digit number means it’s conventionally grown.
• A five-digit number beginning with 9 means it’s organic.
• A five-digit number beginning with 8 means it’s genetically modified.




Now you can be sure about what you’re buying!

Via Ideal Bite

What Do These Numbers Mean?

Tonight, I was going to post a recipe for all the world to see. The dish was so good that I convinced my husband to try it once he got home from work. Well, the plate was clean in a matter of minutes and soon I shall rule the world. Wooohahahaha! (That’s my vegan-vampire laugh). 

Earlier in the day, I prepared my shopping list and learned a fact that I feel the entire world should know. It’s one of those facts only to be found buried in a book, discussed on NPR or a blog like this:-) Brace yourselves….This news is as exciting as finding out who’s the face of “Dr. Claw”. You know… the evil nemesis of Inspector Gadget and leader of the evil organization MAD.  (NOTE: Some readers may not be old enough to appreciate the awesomely creative genius of 80’s cartoons)

We know that many of our grocery stores are starting to carry more organic fruits and veggies. But what are those round stickers on ALL the fruits and veggies. It’s like the mark of the beast has been placed on every piece of produce.

Well, this sticker isn’t just for scanning purposes. It’s a PLU (Price Look Up) Number. This 4 or 5-digid PLU number is extremely helpful for those of us who don’t want to ruin a salad full of pesticides. So, here’s the legend to understanding your produce:

1. When the PLU number is 5-digits and begins with the #9 the veggie/fruit is organic = an attempt to produce without synthetic chemicals (fertilisers, pesticides, antibiotics, hormones) or GMO’s (Genetically Modified Organisms) – yuck!

2. When the PLU number is 4-digits, it’s conventionally grown =often use fertilisers and pesticides which allow for higher yield, out of season growth, greater resistance, greater longevity and a generally greater mass – double yuck!

3. When the PLU number is 5-digits and begins with the #8, it’s been genetically modified - yuck mouth!

NOTE: There are some veggies and fruits that are not certified organic. This is usually due to the high costs to get the certification for receiving organic PLU numbers.

As I shopped for my ingredients in tonight’s Zucchini and Yellow Zebra Tomato Lasagne dish (recipe shown on tomorrow), I noticed that I’ve been purchasing produce full of pesticides! But know I know the truth and what shall make me free from the captivity of pesticides. In the words of another great 80’s cartoon – “…and knowing is half the battle”.   (can you guess what cartoon this is from?)

Happy Eating and Healthy Living

Pregnancy is the time when you have most control over your child’s health -  and it’s a time when many women start to seriously seek out organic foods and produce. Grocers typically do a good job of highlighting the organics, and keeping them separate from conventionally grown (i.e., made with pesticides). But do you ever wonder if regular produce gets tossed in with the organic? Or if there’s genetically modified produce in the bunch?

Learn how to decode the stickers and you’ll wonder no more …

The stickers are part of an international PLU (price look-up) system grocers use to make check-out and inventory control easier. To help identify the fruit or veggie variety, the stickers have a four digit number (e.g. 4060 stands for broccoli). Cashiers key the number into the register to ring up the right price. If the item is organic, the sticker will have a five-digit code and will begin with the number “9″ (so it’s “94060″ for organic broccoli). 

But there’s also a third PLU option. A five-digit number beginning with an “8″ indicates that the produce you’re holding is genetically modified. Of course, there’s a whole controversy over genetically modified fruits, veggies and other foods and whether they might have unforseen consequences – in human and environmental health. The number “8″ was assigned as the “genetically modified” identification years ago when it was thought that consumers would widely accept such fruits and vegetables.

That hasn’t turned out to be the case. And, sadly, you’re not likely to find grocers or food manufacturers voluntarily labeling genetically modified fruits (the PLU system is optional, and because GM foods may not have a different price than conventional, grocers don’t have incentive for the specialized labeling). Most experts say that, for now, the majority of fruits and vegetables on the market are not genetically modified, but they do say that the majority of processed foods contain genetically modified ingredients. Here are some stats from the Center for Food Safety, an environmental advocacy group:

Currently, up to 45 percent of U.S. corn is genetically engineered, as is 85 percent of soybeans. It has been estimated that 70 to 75 percent of processed foods on supermarket shelves – from soda to soup, crackers to condiments – contain genetically engineered ingredients.

If you’re concerned, here’s a shoppers’ guide to avoiding genetically modified fruits, veggies and other foods from a division of the Center for Food Safety. One sure way to avoid genetically modified food items?

Stick to organic fruits and veggies (five-digit code starting with a “9″) and buy other food items labeled USDA Organic (left), a certification that doesn’t allow for genetic modification. 

[Opening photo: depicts a four-digit PLU code (3294), which means it's not organic, but conventionally grown]

What? PLU stickers have a meaning to you and me, as well as to the supermarket cashier? Yep. I didn’t know that until now. Did you?

PLU stickers are those things on your produce that you have to peel off, if you can. I thought maybe the “PLU” meant “Please Lift Up” (it made a little sense to me, anyway) , but, actually, it means “Price Look Up”– that part helps the cashier check you out more quickly. They were originally introduced in North America, but are now used in Australia, New Zealand, and European countries.PLU stickers also tell “what food this is” and “where it came from”. In addition, PLU stickers tell you “how this food was grown”– very important information to you and me.

“Conventionally grown produce” is labeled with a PLU 4-digit number sticker. In other words, 4-digit numbers (which most often begin with “3″ or “4″) indicate “conventionally grown” produce, which can have been sprayed with chemical pesticides, weed killers, etc.

Two classes of produce are indentified by 5-digit numbers:

Genetically-modified produce is labeled with 5-digit numbers which begin with “8″. (This produce may also have been chemically treated.)

Organically grown produce is labeled with 5-digit numbers which begin with “9″. This lead number indicates that the produce it labels is organically grown, non-genetically modified, and not treated with any kind of chemicals.

Basically, then, if you want to ensure that what you are eating is of the best, healthiest quality, you should look for produce labeled with a number that begins with “9″.

More information on PLU codes is available at theInternational Federation for Produce Standards site.